Belgium Financial Services and Markets Authority chair highlights auditor ethics as the foundation of audit credibility

The Belgium Financial Services and Markets Authority reported that its chairman, Jean-Paul Servais, delivered a keynote speech at the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants conference in Lisbon, focusing on the need for auditors to maintain credibility and trustworthiness for audits to retain their value. Servais, speaking in his capacity as chairman of the FSMA and the International Organization of Securities Commissions and as chair of the OECD Corporate Governance Committee, argued that ethical conduct is a public-interest responsibility that supports confidence and transparency in the financial system. He also emphasised auditors’ role in maintaining the integrity of capital markets and protecting investors, addressing an audience of more than 1,000 participants alongside speakers including European Commissioner Maria-Luís Albuquerque and Portugal’s Minister of State and Finance Joaquim Miranda Sarmento.